PART 3: THE EMPIRE CRUMBLES
Four days later, Adrian walked into the executive boardroom at Vantage Aeronautics, expecting a routine quarterly meeting.
He carried a sleek leather folder under his arm, looking relaxed, polished, and confident—the exact image of a CEO in full control.
Instead of finding the usual board members awaiting his arrival, he found me sitting at the head of the long mahogany table.
Beside me sat Marissa, two federal investigators, and the company’s chief legal counsel.
Adrian froze in the doorway, his smile wavering as his eyes darted from the badge on the investigator’s lapel to the blue folder resting before me.
“Vivienne?” he stammered, attempting to regain his footing. “What is the meaning of this? You’re supposed to be away.”
“And you were supposed to be in London,” I said softly, sliding the printed copies of his offshore wire transfers across the table.
His face drained of color as he recognized the precise account numbers and the timestamped photos from the airport lounge.
“This is a misunderstanding,” Adrian blurted out, stepping toward the table as panic began to shatter his calm exterior.
“It’s not a misunderstanding, Adrian,” I replied, leaning back in my chair. “It’s an arrest warrant.”
(The final score is about to be settled! Click “Next Page” to see how the story ends…)
